2025 Issue 47

Mihir Sharma describes the CCP’s beggar thy neighbor economic model which prevents other countries from climbing the development ladder.

The Chinese Communist Party spent the week escalating its pressure on Tokyo to force Prime Minister Takaichi to withdraw her reasonable statements about protecting Japanese national security interests.

Lingling Wei at the Wall Street Journal describes how the CCP is escalating its pressure on Taipei while preparing its own citizens to accept potential military action against Taiwan and its partners.

Oliver Stuenkel and Alexander Gabuev observe that the BRICS grouping is underperforming given the opportunities that the new Trump Administration has provided.  Internal tensions, an unwillingness to build functioning international institutions, and the lack of trust between members saps BRICS of its potential.